Cornish green energy scheme lands £22m grant
The UK’s first system drawing heat from deep underground to provide low-cost heating for nearly 4,000 homes is one of seven innovative projects backed by government funding.
The Langarth Deep Geothermal Heat Network will involve drilling to a depth of 5,275 meters to extract the heat from granite rocks beneath the United Downs Industrial Site in Cornwall. It is to receive a £22m grant from the government.
It is one of seven state-of-the-art heating systems that will receive a share of £91 million from the government’s Green Heat Network Fund.
Heat networks take heat found underground or use excess heat generated through manufacturing or waste management, and supply heating and hot water to homes and businesses through a connected network.
Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “The UK is a world leader when it comes to reducing carbon emissions – but we must continue to push the boundaries to reach our net zero goal.
“These innovative projects will not only benefit the communities they serve, by reducing emissions and providing low-cost heating that helps to drive down energy bills, but also support the nation’s push for greater energy security and independence.
“They form part of our energy revolution – creating hundreds of new jobs for our ever-expanding green economy.”
The Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) is a £288m scheme that opened in March 2022 to public, private and third sector applicants in England and is anticipated to run to 2025. It replaced the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) scheme which closed for applications in January 2022.
In contrast to the HNIP scheme, the GHNF scheme will only fund heat network projects where there is a low-carbon heat source.
Ken Hunnisett, programme pirector for Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management, delivery partner for the GHNF and HNIP, said: “Continuing the legacy of the first GHNF projects to be announced in December, over £91 million more targeted support has been announced from the fund today to deliver low carbon heating across the country.
“From Cornwall to London, Reading to Rotherham, funding announced today will go far to help us reach our net zero ambitions and provide clean heating across residential and commercial buildings.
“We are excited to work with the teams in each of these locations to deliver these new heating infrastructure projects to help them deliver on their green goals and make a real difference to how we heat our buildings.”
By 2050 a much larger proportion of the country will get their heat from low-carbon heat networks as part of the UK’s net zero targets.
In February, the government also launched the £32m Heat Network Efficiency Scheme to make vital upgrades to old and inefficient heat networks and provide thousands of homes in England and Wales with cheaper, greener energy.
